The waiting game

The longer the wait, the more anxiety builds for women waiting for followup mammogram results

By Anna Byk

Marianne Fuller's back in the doctor's office. A false positive in her last mammogram set off alarm bells and her FP ordered a followup x-ray. After the second radiology, she had to wait another three agonizing weeks for her results. By the time today's appointment rolls around she's so worried about the spectre of breast cancer that she's physically shaking.

Her doctor ushers her into the exam room, mammogram results in hand. His soothing voice and manner do nothing to calm her down � nor does the possibility that the lump is malignant. A biopsy will have to be done to confirm the result. The prospect of more waiting sends Ms Fuller spiralling into an abyss of fear and anxiety.

The mounting stress and trepidation that accompany waiting for test results is something doctors deal with regularly � perhaps most commonly when it comes to cancer results. The longer a patient has to wait for mammogram results, the more the anxiety grows. It seems to follow that faster results would naturally reduce the stress and get the patient listening to the diagnosis and her treatment options.

That assumption is exactly right, according to a study published in the April 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The US study looked at 8,453 women who'd had false positive mammograms to measure anxiety levels associated with waiting for results. The researchers found that women who received the results of their followup mammogram on the same day suffered less anxiety. Interestingly, educational intervention had no effect on reducing stress.

The Cedar Breast Clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal already takes the anxiety of its patients into account, offering all diagnostic services under the same roof. "We cut down all the steps that used to take an eternity," says Dr Antoine Loutfi, co-director of the clinic. "We're going from almost 8-12 weeks to things being done the same day. At the clinic, a woman will leave the same day with a biopsy done and can get results within five days."

Not all provinces have such thoughtful clinics. Barbara Bone, vice-president of development at the Breast Cancer Society of Canada (BCSC) applauds this approach, noting the discrepancy across the country, with many women waiting up to 12 weeks for results. She says hundreds upon hundreds of women call the BCSC every year looking for support, especially when dealing with the stress of waiting.